The Boston Celtics appeared to be clicking on all cylinders two games into the NBA Finals.
The Celtics hold a commanding 2-0 lead over the Dallas Mavericks after another convincing win in Game 2.
As a result, Boston became an even heavier favorite to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.
However, there was some bad news out of Boston on Tuesday, as a report stated that Kristaps Porzingis is dealing with a tendon issue in his left leg. And on Wednesday, the Boston big man was officially ruled out for Game 3.
How did his injury impact the betting odds?
The Mavericks initially opened as 1.5-point favorites, but the latest news moved the line to Mavs -3.5.
Let’s check out the latest series odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of June 12.
NBA FINALS ODDS
Boston Celtics: -800 (bet $10 to win $11.25 total)
Dallas Mavericks: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Kristaps Porziņģis reportedly day-to-day with lower leg injury
After Boston’s dominant Game 1 victory, its title odds shortened to -400 from -225, before shortening even further to -800 with its Game 2 win.
Prior to their 12-2 run through the Eastern Conference, the Celtics had the fifth-best point differential in NBA history (11.34). The four other teams in the top five went on to win the NBA title, meaning history is on the side of the Celtics.
On the flip side, in the wake of the Game 1 loss, the Mavericks’ title futures moved to +310 from +188, and now sit at +550.
After going 50-32 in the regular season, the Mavericks would hold the second-worst record for an NBA champion since 1979 if they ended up winning it all.
With the Mavericks having 14 fewer wins than the Celtics this season, it would also be the second-largest upset, in terms of win differential, in NBA Finals history.
However, this is the first time Boston has been favored to win an NBA Finals since 1986, according to Ben Fawkes. They’ve been the underdogs in their four previous trips, including when they won in 2008 (+160) against the Los Angeles Lakers.
They were +280 underdogs in the 2022 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
On Monday’s edition of “Undisputed,” former Celtic and NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce said he sees this series being completed in short order.
“I don’t think they’re sweeping Dallas. I think Dallas has a certain pride about them and Luka [Doncic] is really good. Kyrie [Irving] is a really good player. They’ll find a way to get one win, but I do think Boston will find a way to get a win [in Dallas] too. I do think they win Game 3. Dallas wins Game 4. Boston comes back and jumps on these duck boats for Game 5. Boston in five.”
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